7. Kevin Smith

Miramax Films

Famously inspired by seeing Richard Linklater’s Grand Jury Prize-winning Slacker, New Jersey native Kevin Smith decided to pick up a camera and shoot a talky, black-and-white movie about a couple of guys essentially just sitting around whining about their jobs. Originally made with a budget of under $30,000 (or far less than the price of a year of film school), Clerks made back over $3 million during its subsequent theatrical run, turning Smith into a genuine slacker success with his own multimedia empire. It also made Jay and Silent Bob into both cult and action figures. And just like that, Smith never had to work another day at a crappy, low-paying retail job ever again.